Chap. I. to the Levant. 827 
They prick thefe Trees in the Months of Auguft and 
September^ and the Maftick, which is their Gum, fweating 
out by the Holes made in the Bark, runs down the Tree, 
and falls upon the Ground, where it congeals into flat Pie- 
ces, which they gather fome Time after, and lay it in the 
Sun to dry, and then range and fliake them in a Sieve 
to feparate the Dull from them, which fo flicks to the 
Faces of thofe that do it, that it cannot be got off but 
by rubbing their Faces with Oil. Thefe Villages pro- 
duce above one thoufand Chefts of Maftick, of which 
they pay to the Grand Signior yearly three hundred 
Chefts, or three hundred Weight, containing ninety 
Oques a-piece, every Village being afleflfed according 
to their Quantity of Trees, and the reft they are obliged 
to fell at a certain Rate, to the Farmer of the Guftoms. 
This Maftick is by Diofcorides allowed to be the beft in 
the World, though it grows alfo in other Places. It is 
a white Gum which enters into the Compofition of many 
Ointments, and the Greeks ufe to chew it much, becaufe 
it makes them fpit, whitens their Teeth, and fweetens 
their Breath ; they put it alfo in their Bread to make it 
more delicate. The chief of thefe Maftick-Towns is 
Callimacha, which hath two Gates that ftand always open, 
fix Greek Churches, and a Nunnery. It is well peopled, 
and round it are faid to be thirty Greek Churches. 
7. Some Miles from this Town lies Niamoni, i. e. the 
Old Virgin, where is a Convent of Caloyers or Greek 
Monks. It ftands among Woods and Rocks, being 
built by Conftantine Monomancus, Emperor of Conftanti- 
mpUy in 1050. The Church is adorn’d with a great 
many Pieces of Marble and Porphyry, and among 
others with thirty two Marble Pillars. The Dome is 
full of Pidlures of Mofaick Work, and the Church is 
kept in good Repair. The Convent is very fpacious, 
and built in the Form of a Caftle : No Woman may 
enter into it. There are commonly two hundred Monks 
in it, under the Government of an Abbot, and it muft 
never exceed that Number. 
When any Places are vacant, fuch as will fupply 
them, and become Caloyers^ muft pay one hundred 
Piaftres, and carry what Eftate they have into the Con- 
vent, which they enjoy for Life, and then leave it to 
the Convent, unlefs they have a Kinfman who will be- 
come a Monk, and then he may give one Third to 
him, on Condition, that at his Death it go to the Con- 
vent. The Convent gives to the Monks every Day 
black Bread, Wine, but not good, and rotten Cheefe ; 
and, if they will have any Thing elfe, they muft pro- 
vide it as well as they can ; and fome live well on their 
own Eftates, and keep a Horfe to take their Pleafure ; 
the reft muft make a Shift with their Commons, yet 
on Fejlivals and Sundays they eat altogether in their 
Hall or Refectory. This Convent pays the Grand Sig- 
nior five hundred Piaftres a Year, for their yearly Re- 
venue is above fixty thoufand Piaftres ; and in their 
Treafury they have above a Million of Gold, for two 
Thirds of the Ifland belongs to them. The Monks 
that die among them are laid in the Church o^St.Luke^ 
]uft without the Convent. They have two Bells, and 
there are little ones in every Village, but the Furks 
throughout their Dominions, allow them no where but 
here. 
8. The chief Town of this Ifle is of the fame Name. 
It hath good Houfes, and the Streets are wide enough 
for Coaches : It is not large, but well peopled, and 
moft Part of the Inhabitants are Chriftians, either 
or Latins^ who have each of them a Bifliop, and feve- 
ral Churches ; but the Greeks have moft by far. They 
have alfo many Convents of Nuns, but not fo ftridly 
lluit up, but that Men may come at them, and they 
will be kind to them, fometimes even beyond the 
Bounds of Chriftian Charity. They may leave their 
Coavent when they pleafe ; and their Bufinefs, while 
they are in it, is to embroider in Gold, Silver and Silk 
upon Handkerchiefs, Purfes, i^c. and they are very 
skilful in it. The Latins have five Churches in the 
Town, the firft is the Bifhop’s, which is fair and large, 
but built fince the Turks have been Mafters of Chio^ 
according to an Agreement made between the French 
King and the Grand Signior. 
To this Church belongs a Burying -place, where all 
xFq French that die in this City are interred ; which was 
given to it by Mr. John Dupuis^ of Marfeilles^ the 
French Conful there. The Capuchins alfo have a large 
and fpacious Church, which ftands over-againft their 
Convent, which is neatly built, and has a large Gar-^ 
den, but wants Water. They are forced to keep their 
Gate continually fliut, becaufe of the Turks^ who, if 
they get in, fpoil their Gardens, and commit many 
other Infolencies. They teach the learned Languages 
and Chriftianity to all Children that are fent to them. 
The Jefuits alfo have a Church and College, and are 
of three Congregations. The Jacobins and Cordeliers 
alfo have fair Churches. The Turks have their Mofques, 
and the Jews their Synagogues. The Town is but 
fmall, and not ftrong, but hath eight Gates, and a 
pretty good Caftle to defend it. The Turks live in it, 
and are generally about eight hundred Men, No ChrF 
jlian may lodge in it ; but the Jezvs^ for their Security, 
pay a certain Sum yearly to dwell in it, for they would 
find but bad Entertainment among the Chrifiians. 
It was built by the Genoefe^ when they were Mafters 
of the Ifle, and commands the Port. Four Miles from 
the City, near to the Sea-fide, is to be feen a vaft Stone, 
which was cut out of fome Rock ; it is almoft round, 
but the upper Part is flat, and fomewhat hollow. On 
the upper Part are Places like Seats cut in the Stone, 
of which there is onq higher than the reft, like a 
School-mafter’s Chair, where, as Tradition reports, was 
Homer's School, where he taught his Scholars. M. du 
Mont fays, he faw nothing but a fquare Altar cut out 
of a Rock, with the Figures of an Ox, Wolf, Sheep, 
and Rabbit, in Bajjo- relievo^ and thinks, that in all 
Probability there were no Schools there, but that it was 
a Place where Sacrifices were offered to the God Pan^ 
or fome other Rural Deity. The Ifle of Chio is eighty 
Miles in Circuit, and very populous, containing, befides 
the chief Town Chio^ already defcribed, fixty Towns 
and Villages, inhabited for the moft Part by Chriftians, 
9. The chief Villages are Cordomolo^ which contains 
about five hundred Inhabitants : The Country about it 
is very fertile and well watered, yielding annually one 
hundred and fixty, or one hundred and feventy Tun of 
Wine. Some Years ago, feveral Pieces of Gold, Sil- 
ver, and Copper Money, of the Emperor Conftantine^ 
were found there. Five Miles from it is a lovely Val- 
ley half a Mile long, where is a Spring of Water, to 
which there is a Defcent by twenty five beautiful Marble 
Steps. At the End of it was a Temple of fine Afli- 
colour’d Marble, but it is pull’d down, and the Stones 
broken, and this only to get the Iron and Lead, that 
joined them together. 
Beyond it is Vichi^ a Village inhabited by three 
hundred Souls, having a Church dedicated to the Vir- 
gin. Beyond it is Cambia^ which has one hundred In- 
habitants, and lies among Rocks, Hills, and Woods of 
wild Pine-trees, which they fell for Timber to build 
their Galleys. Among the Mountains are feveral 
Churches. Below this Village is a Valley, where ftands 
a little Caftle built upon a Rock, which is almoft inac- 
ceflible. Over-againft this Caftle is the Mount of Sr, 
Elias, which is the higheft Place of all the Ifland, and 
is feen from Tenedo, which is above one hundred Miles 
diftant. It has a Church dedicated to that Saint built 
on it, but is ufually cover’d with Mifts and Snow. la 
the Middle of this Mountain is a large Spring, which 
waters the Fields about it, and makes them very fertile, 
and they are planted with all Sorts of Fruit, 
In a Wood hard by lies Spartonda, a Village inhabi- 
ted by about fifty Shepherds, but very pleafant, afford- 
ing Plenty of good Water and Fruits, Between Ca~ 
landre and Coronia there is a Bath of Sulphur by the 
Sea-fide, under extraordinary big Oaks. It is called 
Hayafma, i. e. the Holy Water, becaufe the Water being 
drank, cures many Difeafes, but by the violent Opera- 
tion it has killed many. Three Miles from the Sea, at 
the further End of the Ifland, is a Town called St. He- 
lena, built on a Rock, containing two hundred Inhabi- 
tants, two Churches, and a Chapel. The Inhabitants 
of this Place firmly believe, that if a dead Body does nos 
corrupt 
